• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Blog
  • Writing Advice
  • Agents and Publishing
  • Self-publishing
  • About
  • Get Editing

Which book do you wish were turned into a movie?

August 20, 2014 by Nathan Bransford 37 Comments

Over at io9, Esther Inglis-Arkell ranked ten classic YA books she wished were turned into movies.

I wasn’t actually familiar with those, but it definitely got me thinking. Which book do you wish were turned into a movie?

This is a tricky, tricky choice for me. On the one hand, classics like The Great Gatsby and Moby-Dick are difficult to transition to the screen, which gives me pause about picking something too literary. On the other hand, who knew that The Godfather would have been so elevated in Francis Ford Coppola’s hands?

It turns out that some of my initial choices are already in the works, including Child 44, which is currently in production, Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, which is rumored to be considered for a TV show, and Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem, also in development.

Thus, I would have to go with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. What about you?

(And no, you’re not allowed to answer “my own!”)

Art: The Photographer Sescau by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: You Tell Me

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. kate johnson says

    August 20, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    Every time I see a terrible romcom I wonder why more romantic novels aren't turned into films–they'd have to be better! Jennifer Crusie's would make great films. I'd love to see Welcome to Temptation on the big screen.

    Reply
  2. Matthew MacNish says

    August 20, 2014 at 4:12 pm

    RAILSEA, by China Mieville

    THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO (series), by Patrick Ness

    SHIP BREAKER (series), by Paolo Bacigalupi

    PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ, by A.S. King

    BROOKLYN, BURNING, by Steve Brezenoff

    and bonus (because it's actually getting made now by Sony): GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, by Andrew Smith

    Reply
  3. Tracey Joseph says

    August 20, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

    Reply
  4. Philip Steiner says

    August 20, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    – Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam Trilogy (Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, MaddAddam)

    – World Made by Hand – trilogy by James Howard Kunstler

    – Redshirts by John Scalzi

    – Daemon, Freedom(tm) by Daniel Suarez (directed by James Cameron)

    – Star's Reach by John Michael Greer

    – The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

    – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

    – Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

    Reply
  5. Katy Pool says

    August 20, 2014 at 5:18 pm

    I was going to say Kavalier and Clay!! I adore that book and I think it would actually work as a movie in the right hands.
    I would also love to see more high fantasy movies/shows…it's a pretty big investment for any book that isn't, say, the Lord of the Rings, but I wish more studios would take a chance on newer fantasy fare. A Lies of Locke Lamorra movie would be awesome. Red Rising is another one that I feel is very movie-ready.

    Reply
  6. abc says

    August 20, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    I haven't heard of a single one of those YA books, but they all sound awesome (in their own crazy way).

    Sticking with YA–I'd like to see a movie of After by Francine Prose.

    And, otherwise, maybe The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Great details, very cinematic.

    Reply
  7. Sasha A. Palmer says

    August 20, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    "The Catcher in the Rye." Maybe some day we'll see it happen, but a good or even great adaptation wouldn't be enough – it'll have to be a masterpiece.

    Reply
  8. Inkling says

    August 20, 2014 at 6:20 pm

    Someone should look into two of the William Morris tales that influenced Tolkien: The Well at the End of the World or The Wood Beyond the World.
    Both are quest fantasies with young men, enchanted woods, and lovely maidens. They'd make marvelous movies.

    Reply
  9. Laura Marcella says

    August 20, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King! I love love love that book. It's fantastic storytelling at its best. Part of me really wants to see it on film, but another part of me is concerned Hollywood would ruin it. So I'd be worried but still excited if it was made into a film.

    Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

    Reply
  10. Alexa Salinger says

    August 20, 2014 at 10:53 pm

    Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen

    Reply
  11. Rosi says

    August 20, 2014 at 11:34 pm

    I Like Laura's suggestion of The Eyes of the Dragon, but one I most hope for is Kindred by Octavia Butler. I can't imagine why it has been overlooked.

    Reply
  12. Maya Prasad says

    August 20, 2014 at 11:57 pm

    Oh, so many. Off the top of my head:

    EON by Alison Goodman
    HEIST SOCIETY by Ally Carter (has been optioned)
    LEVIATHAN (+series) by Scott Westerfeld
    CINDER (+series) by Marissa Meyer

    I watched Vampire Academy but I thought the pacing and reveal of information was too fast. I think it would do better as a TV show since it's 6 intense books.

    Reply
  13. Bill Wilkinson says

    August 21, 2014 at 12:06 am

    I think it would be interesting to see "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace turned into either a movie or TV series. I would also like to see "Wonderland" by Joyce Carol Oates be made into a movie. Then there's "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clark directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as Jonathan Strange and Michael Caine as Mr. Norrell.

    Reply
  14. Carolynnwith2Ns says

    August 21, 2014 at 1:01 am

    Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

    Wool by Hugh Howey

    These two take science fiction to a whole new level, one deep, one slow. Love them both.

    Reply
  15. Disperser says

    August 21, 2014 at 1:02 am

    Le Tigri di Mompracem, by Salgari

    The Man-Kzin Wars, Niven, Pournelle, et. all.

    Ringworld, Niven

    Reply
  16. Neil Larkins says

    August 21, 2014 at 1:56 am

    I read Level 7 by Mordecai Roshwald in 1962 (I was 17) and have always thought it would be especially challenging to translate to film. I don't think it's ever been done.

    Reply
  17. thewriteedge says

    August 21, 2014 at 2:42 am

    From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I LOVED that book as a kid!

    Reply
  18. Magdalena Munro says

    August 21, 2014 at 3:07 am

    Sacred Hunger written by the late Barry Unsworth was entirely cinematic in my mind. I really can't envision anyone but Terence Mallick directing this film. God I would die!!! That novel was the grandest trip of my life.

    Reply
  19. wendy says

    August 21, 2014 at 3:24 am

    I remember hearing of three or four of those YA books when they were released in the seventies and eighties. Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle was one that made an impact upon readers of the time. I'd like to see all those I recall made into movies.

    As this was a time when I read more than any other period, my suggested book comes from this era, too. The Dark Angel by Meredith Ann Pierce, published in the early 80's, was captivating for me. On the back cover is a testimonial by Madeleine L'Engle, herself: 'One of the loveliest books I've read in a long time'. I thought the same.

    Reply
  20. Mark Jones says

    August 21, 2014 at 4:13 am

    I'd love to see The Integral Trees by Larry Niven. Or the Swords books by Saberhagen, and the Berserker stories by Saberhagen. I think there's a real dearth of science fiction in movies currently and I'd love to see more good stuff!

    Reply
  21. Tom Bradley Jr. says

    August 21, 2014 at 4:22 am

    EAST WIND, RAIN by Caroline Paul.
    ISLAND OF THE SEQUINED LOVE NUN and FLUKE, by Christopher Moore.

    Reply
  22. Peter says

    August 21, 2014 at 8:44 am

    The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

    Reply
  23. Yolande Pienaar says

    August 21, 2014 at 10:29 am

    THE ALLIOMENTI SAGA (BOOK 1-6) by Alex Albrinck. I think it would make an interesting series.

    Reply
  24. CindyLou Foster says

    August 21, 2014 at 10:59 am

    The Abhorsen Series by Garth Nix

    Reply
  25. Nicole says

    August 21, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye. It was a so-so mini-series several years ago but could be done amazingly on the big screen!

    Reply
  26. Anonymous says

    August 21, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    John Irving's "In One Person." It won a Lambda award for the way things were portrayed during the height of the AIDS crisis. But Irving is quirky about allowing the names of his characters to be used in films…why Simon Birch became Owen Meany. So I'm not hopeful about this one.

    Reply
  27. Bruce Bonafede says

    August 21, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    GONE WITH THE WIND.

    Okay, in a more serious vein, I would love to see them make a movie of 2030, Albert Brook's darkly funny novel about America's doomed future.

    Reply
  28. Gwen Tolios says

    August 21, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    I love Tamora Pierce's books. It think they would make a great movie franchise. Or even just a great HBO show.

    Reply
  29. Lady Jewels Diva® says

    August 22, 2014 at 1:31 am

    Which books would I wish were turned into a movie?

    Mine! lol

    Reply
  30. Pamala Knight says

    August 22, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    Oh I TOTALLY agree with Gwen about the Tamora Pierce books. The Protectorate of the Small series would be awesome as a movie.

    But I'd really like to see SILVER SPARROW by Tayari Jones made into a movie.

    Reply
  31. Unknown says

    August 22, 2014 at 2:27 pm

    Easy. Neuromancer by William Gibson. It almost happened as well, Chris Cunningham (of Aphex Twin fame) was booked in to do it and it fell apart. The tech and idea is too 90s now and it is kind of pointless doing a historical future movie.

    Reply
  32. Caroline Bliss Larsen says

    August 23, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    Maybe everyone else is sick of the dystopian thing (I'm not, hehe), but I loved Allie Condie's Matched trilogy—dystopian romance plus poetry?!? How could it get better?! 🙂

    Reply
  33. Richard Pieters says

    August 24, 2014 at 11:46 pm

    Before I read all the way down, my first thought was Kavalier and Clay. What a great book, and I can see the movie with some judicious animation for the comic bits. Yes.

    Was disappointed that Billy Bob Thornton's Peace Like a River didn't seem to fly. I'd love that film.

    Reply
  34. Sarah Page says

    August 25, 2014 at 1:18 am

    Definitely Epic by Conor Kostick and Airborn by Kenneth Oppel!

    Reply
  35. pookha says

    August 26, 2014 at 8:16 am

    Declare by Tim Powers. Cold war with magic. Would be so cinematic

    Reply
  36. Stephanie Cain says

    August 26, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    The Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman. Before encountering Tom Hiddleston's acting I didn't think anyone was capable of playing Gerald Tarrant, but I am now convinced Hiddleston could do it.

    Reply
  37. Sarah Hipple says

    August 31, 2014 at 4:43 am

    I always have the same answer to this question (because it never gets made!): Sabriel.

    And I just listened to a podcast where I learned that Garth Nix has actually written a screenplay himself (b/c he started out writing screenplays), and now I want a Sabriel movie more than ever.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Nathan

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

My blog has everything you need to know to write, edit, and publish a book. Can’t find what you need or want personalized help? Reach out.

Learn more about me

Need Editing?

I'm available for consultations, edits, query critiques, brainstorming, and more.
Learn more!

My Books

How to Write A Novel
Cover of How to Publish a Book by Nathan Bransford
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapo
Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe
Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp

Subscribe!

Subscribe to the newsletter and get a FREE writing, publishing, or marketing course.

Forums

Need help with your query? Want to talk books? Check out the Nathan Bransford Forums
Footer Logo
Nathan Bransford

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Editing Services
  • My Books
  • About Me
  • Blog Directory
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Twitter Logo Facebook Logo Instagram Logo
As an Amazon and Bookshop Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon and Bookshop links are usually affiliate links.